RETAIL STORE DESIGN: TOP TIPS

The Shop and Display Equipment Association advises independents on how to make the most of their store environments to drive sales.

• Strip out the clutter to create a clean and more spacious environment. For a truly unique look, add a feature.  This format works equally well for a local furniture store or an upmarket designer boutique.

• Branding is vital - the look of a store must reinforce the overall corporate identity, even if you are an independent.  Allow your store to stand out from the crowd!

• Consider the items that you stock and how they fit together, their colours and styles, what they say and what you want to say to the public.

• Identify your target market and aim your product displays and shopfittings at that audience. 

• Choose a relevant theme and enlarge upon it, make it the very essence of your shop. 

• The window and instore displays must work together to entice the customer in and excite them into purchasing. This can be done with good display props and accessories. 

• Create a stunning window display to drag the shoppers in.  Be creative, use lots of colour and have fun.  When the shop is closed it continues to work for you so it needs to be powerful! 

• Another popular alternative is to open up the entire storefront so that the customer can see right through the store.

• Large format graphics can also be used in place of traditional props and are a great way to convey a corporate ‘lifestyle’ if you have more than one store.

• The shopfittings and display equipment, whilst smart and modern, should also embody the store’s outlook and allow the products to shine.  They should be relatively neutral, unless of course you want to enlarge upon a corporate look.   

• The design, innovation and creation of unique display systems and props, the use of cutting edge materials to manufacture traditional systems, or the creation of new systems from a material normally associated with another application can all make a difference.

• Whatever you opt for, you must also make good use of lighting, sound and smells (and even tastes in some instances) to tempt your customers.

• For the perfect retail mix, add to this a variety of instore events, special offers and customer loyalty benefits to ensure additional footfall and sales in quiet times.

ABOUT THE SHOP AND DISPLAY EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION (SDEA)

The sdea has a vast array of suppliers and manufacturers who between them can offer you literally thousands of innovative and exciting products and services.  Many of them will even be able to put together a themed project, as well as designing, manufacturing and installing it for you – a complete turnkey operation.  It has a unique handbook full of creative and innovative ideas and inspiration for creating retail environments that work.  The sdea Directory lists all its members with detailed descriptions of their products and services.  The showcase gallery offers a visual interpretation of their many retail display items and the quick reference guides help you locate a supplier by the retail trade or the products in which they specialise. For more information visit www.shopdisplay.org